"The persecution of Julian Assange is the conquest of us all: of our independence, our self respect, our intellect, our compassion, our politics, our culture." — John Pilger

The next time an American, Britisher, or Australian goes on about the freedom, democracy, and humanitarianism of his country, show them this:  http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51204.htm 

The Australian government refuses to defend a citizen, Julian Assange, who the United Nations has ruled is held in arbirary detention by the UK and US governments in the absence of any charges for no other reason than to exact revenge on a journalist who told truth that embarrassed Washington.

In effect, Assange has been cast into a dungeon by governments whose behavior is precisely that of a lawless medieval robber baron.